The AskHistorians Podcast

Welcome to the first of our two part series on the Opium Wars!  Today I, /u/Steelcan909, am joined by /u/EnclavedMicrostate in a discussion about the development of the opium trade and the tensions between the Qing government and British merchants that erupted into two wars between these Imperial giants. 

We have the privilege to speak with Dr. Anya Jabour about her recent biography, "Sophonisba Breckinridge: Championing Women's Activism in Modern America." Breckinridge was a university professor in the early 20th century who played a major role in nearly every area of social activism you can fathom--and here, you have the chance to learn all about her, and to use her as a window into the history of social activism in the 20th century United States.

In this episode, Jeremy (/u/EnclavedMicrostate) interviews then-flaired-user (now newly-minted moderator) /u/Steelcan909 on the matter of the Christianisation of England during the Early Middle Ages. What happened to Christianity after the Romans left? How did it come back? Were attempts made to syncretise Christianity with paganism? And where does horse meat come into it all? Find out all this and more on this episode of the AskHistorians Podcast.

On January 4, members of the AskHistorians mod team spoke as a panel at the annual American Historical Association conference in New York City. We recorded that panel, "Historians on the Battleground of Social Media: Lessons from Eight Years of AskHistorians," to share with our listeners at home! (Some audience questions at the end were edited out, as they were too quiet to hear or amplify in post-production. The answers are still in the podcast, though!) You can read our papers here: https://askhistorians.com/conferences/aha2020.html

Today /u/Drylaw talks with Professor Nicholas Buccola, author of "The Fire Is upon Us: James Baldwin, William F. Buckley Jr., and the Debate over Race in America" (Princeton University Press, 2017), about the important 1965 debate on race between James Baldwin and William F. Buckley Jr. We cover their influences on the civil rights and conservative movements respectively, and their ideas' continuing relevance. You can find Professor Buccola on Twitter as @buccola_nick.

For his debut as an interviewer rather than as a guest on the podcast, Jeremy Salkeld (/u/EnclavedMicrostate) is joined by flaired user /u/dandan_noodles to discuss warfare and its changes and continuities from the mid-eighteenth century and the wars of Frederick the Great up to the early nineteenth century and the wars of Napoleon. Why were wars fought? Who joined the armies? How did they fight? Did the revolution in French politics create a revolution in French warfare? Find out all this and more in this episode. (Total length: 102 minutes) Follow @AskHistorians on Twitter and everywhere else!

Cassidy Percoco is joined by Lyndsey Craig, MS candidate at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, to chat briefly about the study, "Pubic Hair Removal Practices in Cross-Cultural Perspective," of which she was lead author. The study's anthropological in nature, but involves some descriptions of historical practices! You can follow Lyndsey on twitter as @lyndseykcraig. You can follow Cassidy on twitter as @mimicofmodes and at A Most Beguiling Accomplishment.  Follow @AskHistorians on Twitter and everywhere else!

Brian M. Watson is joined by Saniya Lee Ghanoui, PhD candidate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in order to examine the intersections of media and technology studies, gender and sexuality, and medicine and public health--which is to say the sexual education film in America and Sweden. Come relive your awkward (or non-existing!) highschool memories of sex-ed class and learn about the history leading up to that cringeworthy film and why it why it takes the form it does today. This is a transnational and transdisciplinary media event however, and we discuss Alfred Kinsey, condoms, and that time Dwight Eisenhower insulted the entire country of Sweden.   You can follow Saniya on twitter @Saniya1 and at https://www.saniyaleeghanoui.com/. You can follow Brian on twitter @brimwats and at http://brimwats.com/.  Follow @AskHistorians on Twitter and everywhere else! © 2019 Brian M. Watson

Today we're joined by Fraser Raeburn, our very own /u/Crrpit, to talk about the International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War with a specific emphasis on Scottish volunteers. Who joined? Why did they join? What were the politics of the International Brigades? Hear about this, and much more, in this episode. You can find him on Twitter as @FraserRaeburn.

Today we're joined by Robert M. Sarwark, Visiting Fellow in Publishing History at Harvard University's Houghton Library, to talk about librarianship and his research into the history of the book during the time of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation.  You can find him on Twitter as @RaMerrix.   © 2019 Brian M. Watson